Free Guy - Movie Review

Critics Score - 6 of 10

General Audience - 7 of 10

For those of us born before this century, when you say the words “video game” thoughts of Mario Brothers, Sonic, Nintendo systems with gray cartridges, Halo tournaments, old computers and World of Warcraft may be memories that come to mind. For the newer generation, games are played on anything with a screen or virtual reality headset, the games Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead are the names kids know and MMO (massive-multiplayer online) games have exploded in popularity. The new film from 20th Century Fox and maybe it’s last, is Free Guy, the Ryan Reynolds led action film that was originally intended to drop in 2020 and based on a MMO game. This film is straight up a summer blockbuster to ideally sit down in a movie theatre with the family and a big bucket of popcorn and bag of sour patch kids to watch. While Free Guy has something for pretty much every moviegoer, it’ll especially appeal to the younger generation as the film revolves around an MMO video game the younger audiences will be familiar with. But the special effects are about the only thing that this film is doing that you’d use the word special to describe. By the end of the two hours runtime you’ll have had some fun watching this Guy, but it’s two hour price tag isn’t one you’re likely to spend that time with again, even if it is Free.

SYNOPSIS - We enter this video game movie with a voice over introduction to the premise of the game, the Heroes are the playable characters and go on virtual missions, drive virtual sports cars and get the virtual girls. Next thing we know the Mariah Carey song Fantasy is playing while Guy (Ryan Reynolds) gets up and does his generic morning routine, something akin to Emmet from The Lego Movie. He heads to his bank teller job where some of the Heroes in the game break in and rob the bank, and we get this is part of the same old routine vibes from Guy’s discourse with his best friend Buddy (Lil Rel Howery). Guy is a NPC, a non-playable character, who’s part of the game, not a real person playing the game. Once he sees Millie (Jodie Comer), a real person playing a Hero taking a stroll through town in her leather pants, Guy starts doing very non-NPC things like stopping robberies and keeping actual players from completing missions and doing whatever they want. While it’s fun to watch Guy progress and his efforts to level up in the game and put himself on Millie’s radar, it’s simple, lighthearted entertainment with no real purpose or sense of drama. The film works hard to set up stakes and make it seem like there’s a hard hitting climactic ending coming but it’s so difficult to invest in anything or anyone because it’s as emotionally dry as a desert. It’s the film equivalent of Kool-Aid, you might enjoy your experience drinking it, but in reality you’re drinking red dye #5 and sugar mixed with water, and there’s only so much satisfaction you can ever get from that.

Once we get to the GAME OVER screen, it’s been an enjoyable yet forgettable time with Ryan Reynolds, who’s always charming and amusingly funny, although this is nowhere near some of his better work. Quick shoutout to the tight blue shirt he sports through the film. The screenplay and direction are also adequate enough and the supporting cast is fine. But aside from Reynolds, the special effects are on full display as a centerpiece of the film and are mostly very good and gamers will geek out with the numerous MMO references. But much of the humor you’d expect from a Ryan Reynolds and Taika Waititi combination ends up falling flat and an element of the film that should be a foundational support is really just a small side note. While general audiences will be more or less satiated with what Free Guy brings to the table, critics and cinephiles undoubtedly will be left wanting just a bit more, or possibly a lot, to sink their teeth into.

SUMMARY - Right from the poster, trailer or any marketing materials you know you’re not gonna be getting anything deep or meaningful, any Oscar nominated piece of cinema, but you’re hopeful it will be an amusing and entertaining piece of filmmaking. You’re hopes are rewarded and even if the laughs, effects and story are all silly and sometimes cheap, they’re certainly not Free with this Guy.